Conventional projectiles, such as bullets, typically comprise a smooth uniform shank or body portion and an axially-symmetrical front or nose portion. Bullet performance is traditionally assessed with respect to parameters including velocity, ballistic coefficient (BC), trajectory, accuracy, and target penetration. Conventional bullets, after leaving the barrel and once under unpowered free-flight, substantially degrade in flight characteristics. For example, conventional bullets begin to wobble during flight, thereby losing accuracy and velocity. Upon striking a target, such reduced velocity and wobbling limits target penetration.
Various efforts have been made to improve projectile performance and/or enable additional projectile features. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,904 to Sullivan (“Sullivan”) issued May 16, 1989, discloses a substantially full bore diameter bullet that has a plurality of elongated grooves either helically formed or parallel with the longitudinal axis of the bullet and a sabot, which has a body and fingers that engage with the grooves and seal the bullet in a casing. The sabot is configured with a slightly larger diameter than the bullet such that the sabot is engraved by the rifling slots in the barrel through which the round is fired, imparting a rotation to the bullet. In alternative embodiments the grooves contain elongated elements or a plurality of spherical elements to prevent the conically tapered slug or bullet from tilting or cocking in the barrel after firing. However, Sullivan fails to teach several novel features of the present invention, including a projectile design that retains if not enhances the spin of a projectile in flight, so as to achieve flatter and faster external ballistics and further yield improved target penetration. Sullivan is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,439,125 to Carter (“Carter”) issued Aug. 27, 2002, relates to a bullet having a tapered nose and a cylindrical base. The base is provided with an annular groove having a diameter less than the bore diameter of the barrel of the gun to reduce the force required to move the bullet through the barrel, thereby increasing the muzzle velocity and kinetic energy of the bullet. However, Carter fails to teach several novel features of the present invention, including a projectile design that retains if not enhances the spin of a projectile in flight, to achieve flatter and faster external ballistics and further yield improved target penetration. Carter is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,522 to Julien et al., (“Julien”) issued Jun. 24, 2003, discloses a projectile comprising a cylindrical body of Type 55 Nitinol material that has a soft martensitic state that is readily deformed by rifling in the bore of a gun barrel to form grooves which ride on the rifling to spin the projectile. The Nitinol material has a low coefficient of friction with the steel barrel and is sufficiently strong to prevent shedding projectile material in the bore. On impact with the target, the Nitinol material undergoes a strain-induced shift to an ultra-high strength state in which the projectile is capable of remaining intact and concentrating its full energy on the small area of contact for maximal penetration and damage to the target. In contrast, a conventional bullet typically mushrooms widely and spreads its energy over a side area. Projectiles in the form of bullets, shotgun slugs, penetrating warheads, caseless ammunition, and artillery shells are described. However, Julien fails to teach several novel features of the present invention, including a projectile design that retains if not enhances the spin of a projectile in flight, to achieve flatter and faster external ballistics and further yield improved target penetration. Julien is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0027128 to Hober (“Hober”) published Feb. 9, 2006, discloses a projectile for small munitions comprising a bullet with an integral housing formed from a resilient, shape-retaining material. The projectile comprises a bullet having a tapered front section, a cylindrical middle section and a tapered end section. The middle section includes a recessed retaining portion over which the resilient housing is securely positioned or formed. The maximum diameter of the bullet is less than the primary bore diameter of the firearm barrel, and the outer diameter of the housing when positioned around the bullet is slightly greater than the primary bore diameter. Thus, rifling in the barrel scores the housing and not the bullet, and imparts spin to the housing during firing and hence to the bullet, which is integral therewith, achieving enhanced gas checking efficiency, accuracy and velocity. The integral housing remains on the bullet after firing and downrange to its ultimate destination. However, Hober fails to teach several novel features of the present invention, including a projectile design that retains if not enhances the spin of a projectile in flight, so as to achieve flatter and faster external ballistics and further yield improved target penetration. Hober is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,224 to Kelsey, Jr. (“Kelsey I”) issued on May 26, 1992 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,261 to Kelsey, Jr. (“Kelsey II”) issued on Jul. 28, 1992 and disclose a small arms bullet having a truncated conical nose with radial rearwardly extending ribs. The ribs have a flat edge and form grooves between the ribs. The Kelsey I ribs are formed along a radial, whereas the Kelsey II ribs are curved. In both Kelsey I and Kelsey II, the ribs are engineered to form a flat planar structure defining a rib thickness. However, each of Kelsey I and Kelsey II fail to teach several novel features of the present invention, including a projectile design that retains if not enhances the spin of a projectile in flight, to achieve flatter and faster external ballistics and further yield improved target penetration. Both Kelsey I and Kelsey II are incorporated herein by reference in entirety.
U.S. Statutory Invention Registration No. H770 to Kline et al., (“Kline”) discloses a tracer training bullet which can be assembled into a conventional cartridge case and fired in a conventional M2 machine gun. The bullet consists of a main body of relatively low strength material which is segmented so that, if not restrained, it will bend under the centrifugal rotational force imparted to the segments by the spinning action of the projectile when fired. The bending of the projectile segments away from their central axis is ordinarily prevented by a retainer in the form of a spider. The spider is made of a relatively low temperature melting material, preferably aluminum, having a given thermal mass. The burn of the tracer material during the flight of the bullet toward a target weakens the retainer to the point of rupture after the bullet has travelled a given distance toward a target position. After the target position is passed, the securement member is destroyed by the high temperature burning action and the segments of the projectile bend or flex apart. This destroys the aerodynamic characteristics of the bullet and reduces its maximum range beyond the target distance. However, Kline fails to teach several novel features of the present invention, including a projectile design that retains if not enhances the spin of a projectile in flight, so as to achieve flatter and faster external ballistics and further yield improved target penetration. Kline is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Thus, there is a long-felt need for a projectile design, and method of making the same, that retains, enhances, or counters the spin of a projectile in flight, to achieve flatter and faster external ballistics and further yield improved target penetration, as provided in embodiments of the present invention. The projectile design of the present invention may be configured to create several embodiments, for example to include rifle embodiments and pistol embodiments.